I’d like to meet others with ulcerative colitis

@cardigan - I'm tagging a few others who've talked about ulcerative colitis who may know something about the inflamed and low-mucus stomach you've mentioned you have and offer some input: @medicaloffice @lohavi @dval @faith2024 @soh1956 @susanbfoster.

Thank you!.It is over 3 weeks since I had my biopsy taken and no result yet.Things do not move very quickly in Dublin!
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@cardigan - wondering how you are doing? Have you gotten your results?

Lisa- No I did not get the results yet.I'd imagine that I will get them this week or next week.

Hi, @cardigan - Hope the results will be helpful to you.

I'm also hoping that members who've talked about ulcerative colitis such as @sparky54 @mariajean03 @softail2000 @tahuna @jjob73 @susanemaa @johnson53rl will have some input for you as you undergo testing to see if you have diverticulitis in addition to colitis. @kayabbott @camprunamuck @astaingegerdm also may have some thoughts for you as you wait for your test results and try to get things sorted.

Are you still experiencing the left-sided pain, in the meantime, cardigan?

I have collagenous colitis and Celiac diseases, rather than Crohn's or ulcerative colitis. Crohn's and ulcerative colitis can increase one's risk of colon cancer, but colonoscopy and other tests are good at finding early stage, such as polyps (most of which are benign). This is easy to say but hard to do, try not to stress too much because stress can worsen diverticulitis and colitis symptoms. Escape as much as you can into hobbies or other escapes. If you are positive for Crohn's or similar colitis there are some fairly new meds, such as Budesonide, that have minimal side effects are help to decrease inflammation. It would be good to talk with a nutritionist familiar with colitis, to see if any dietary changes help. Some of the old suggestions like avoiding fiber and seeds are no longer recommended, for example. I've had colitis for 8 years, and it is manageable; it didn't limit my biking 300 km/week and I only had to go on Budesonide for two 3 mo stints starting last year.

Yes Lisa I get the left sided pain very frequently.As my colon would have some balloon type pouches (diverticuli I think they are called) I would expect that they are getting infected very often.

Thank you very much for the reply.I have not heard of Collagenous Colitis so will read up on it.I am taking Imodium at the moment.It is a liquid capsule for diarrhoea which I take every now & again although it is not advised for diverticulitis.

Thank you Lisa for forwarding me the info from other sufferers.It was very helpful.

Collagenous colitis is also called microscopic colitis; it is an autoimmune disease that is only visible by examining biopsy samples under a microscope. It is more common with those of us with celiac disease. I try to manage mine with diet and de stressing. Everyone is different in what works, I eat yogurt and kombucha for probiotics, also some psyllium husk/water (soluble fiber feeds "friendly" bacteria and insoluble adds bulk, and may also bind with bile that can irritate the colon. ) As always, check with a doctor before you make a big change in diet or pills. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/17227-microscopic-colitis https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/foods-for-diverticulosis-and-diverticulitis